“I’ve been going to Comic-Con every year for the past 12 years, and that’s where people know me. The people there, they’ve seen so much and they’re so involved with comics and science-fiction, so they know to look for me.”

Billy West Guy Viau

2. Celebrities lending their voice to animated films are ruining his craft.

“Voice actors are not afforded the luxury and doing their own voices; they have to be versatile and creative. It used to be that movie stars had a smug attitude about doing cartoon voices. It was like voice actors were in the part of the pool where people pee.”

3. Technology, on the other hand, helps West’s career.

“When I was young, I couldn’t capture what I saw or heard on film. I had to remember everything. Eventually I was able to tape things that I heard on TV or on the radio on a small reel-to-reel tape recorder and I’d listen to that until the tape wore out.”

4. Mel Blanc — the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird and many more — was his hero.

“Mel Blanc was an incredible actor. He gave each of the voices personality and rhythm. I was nervous when I did Bugs, but you know what? I wasn’t trying to fill his shoes, just continue the character.”

5. But creating original characters is the most fun.

“I love it because you’re not shackled to the original actor and you don’t have to base it on anything.”